The Horrors of Parallax
by Exterminatedaffodils123
Summary: The Doctor takes Clara to desolate planet called Parallax, inhabited by the monstrous Fafu and the humanoid Nefu. When Clara's life is at risk, will the Doctor be able to save her?
1. Chapter 1

The Horrors of Parallax

Chapter 1: Parallax

A/N A whouffle fanfic, Doc and Clara go to an alien planet, stuff happens. Enjoy! I don't own anything, btw.

"The planet Parallax!" the Doctor shouted in glee. He and Clara had just emerged from the TARDIS, which was currently parked in a cave. The landscape was a dark purple, murky and miserable, the sky mottled blue.

A hour later, they were on the flatlands, amongst trees that were

thin and brittle.

"Ah yes, the Pont trees. No fruit, no life, just a bit of wood,".

"Fascinating. What's that?" Clara asked, pointing to a figure on the landscape.

"That, Clara, is a Fafu. A primitive creature, barely humanoid. Bites a bit," he warned, pulling her slightly. The Fafu was black and grey, with rough, coarse skin covering it's hunched body, leading to it's enormous, snapping jaw, line sith fangs. Minuscule yellow eyes looked out onto the horizon.

However, it walked upto Clara, sniffing slightly. "Hang on, I think he likes you!" the Doctor said with a laugh. Suddenly, it bit her arm viciously, retracting within an instant. "Oi, shoo!" the Doctor shouted, buzzing his sonic at it. Amazed by the light and sound, it vanished onto the horizon.

"Doctor, is it safe?" Clara asked, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, as long as you've got your Immuno-58 shot," he replied, putting away the sonic.

"Immuno what?" she asked desperately.

"Oh, that's the twenty SECOND century," he said, his eyes widening in panic. "Oh dear..." he said, looking at his friend in dread.

"Doctor, what?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes in fear.

"We have to get you to the Nefu city. Now!" he said, picking her up. Fortunately, her small body allowed him to sprint over the dead world

.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Nefu

Chapter 2: The Nefu

The Nefu city was made entirely out of rock, some carved out of the cliffs, some carved into the cliffs. After carrying Clara up the stairs, the Doctor had her laid on a table in the middle of the city.

"She doesn't have long before the first stage," a Nefu murmured to the Doctor.

"Doctor, what's the first stage?" Clara asked.

"Stage one is the start of the metamorphosis. Stage two is psychological change. Stage three is the point of no return," he muttered in a monotone, not looking at his friend.

"Metamorphosis?"

"Yes. Into a Fafu," he replied grimly.

"Don't you have any Immuno-58 in the TARDIS to stop it?" she begged to her hero.

"It wouldn't work. We'd need a more powerful

antidote, which doesn't exist,". As Clara nearly resigned to her fate and curled up into a ball, a voice spoke out:

"There is a way," the Nefu spoke. "Forgive me, I am Tellark. If you went into the caves of the Fafu, then you could find some pure venom in the growth sacs at the centre,"

"Growth sacs?" asked Clara in bewilderment.

"When a Fafu is conceived, the fertilised egg in put in a growth sac," the Doctor explained. "It contains pure venom, enough to make a powerful antidote to cure you!" he said, a crescendo in his voice as he realised Tellark's plan.

"Clara, I can save you!" he shouted in joy. "I'll go to the Fafu caves, get the venom, get back in..." he said, pointing to Tellark.

"3 hours,"

"3 hours. I can do it, I can do it!" he said, running down the staircase.

"Doctor, you'll never make it in time!" Tellark shouted after him.

"Don't you worry, Tellark. My timing is brilliant!"

Clara was moved into a room on her own. Already, her skin was darkening slightly, and drying out rapidly. Her teeth were slightly longer, pricking her tongue if she dragged it along the tips. Whether it was a side effect or not, her breathing was shallow

and raspy. She was frightened.

The Doctor was running along the landscape as fast as his legs could carry him. He stopped to draw breath, panting in and out the icy breath. He stopped to get his bearings.

Behind him for about a mile was the ridges that made up the Nefu city, minuscule now, not the fearsome cliffs from earlier. Ahead, possibly, was a single hill, barely noticeable on the flat land, the slight curve reaching out to the sky. He had no idea what he would find there, but nothing would stop him from saving his friend.

Straightening up, he heaved for breath one last time, before continuing his voyage.

"It's phase two, now," Clara heard Tellark whisper from behind the cell door. Her hair was short and wispy now, not the lengthy locks they used to be. Her skin was the dark colour she recognised from earlier, only cracked and solid, as if it had been dried severely. She ran up to the door, clawing at it to get out, her deep breaths becoming a throaty growl...

Meanwhile, the Doctor had finally reached the caves. From the hill led a small door, no larger than a square metre. An eery green light shone from within.

"Geronimo," he muttered, entering the caves


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3: The Caves of the Fafu

From the entrance, there was a corridor, glowing green almost. Images of the giant maggots flew to the Doctor's mind, but he banished them, instead, thinking of a green traffic light, urging him to GO, GO!

The passage was wide, leading off at several junctions. The Doctor committed every route to his eidetic memory, so he wouldn't get lost. He finally reached a large hall, corridors leading off into every direction: left, right, up, down, everywhere.

"Can I help you?"

They were cruel, Clara had decided. They were cruel, for trapping her here, in this airless cell, leaving her to die. It was inhumane! Actually, that was quite appropriate, as of today. She threw herself at the crack under the door, sucking in whatever air she could find.

She was suffocating in here! Stroking her arm, she felt the rough and scaly flesh that was once soft and youthful. She hated the Nefu for forcing her to go through this on her own! She hated the Doctor too, for bringing her here, for letting her get infected. If he was here, she would kill him! She

would claw, and thrash, and tear, and bite...

The voice had come from a creature stood in one corridor. It wasn't facetious, or exasperated. If anything, it was pleased to see the Doctor. The creature was still stood up straight, but hunched over slightly. His face was human on one side, with wispy white hair and kind blue eyes, the other side Fafu, the mouth twisting and contorting down the middle.

"You seem to be lost," it said to the Doctor. Recognising his bewildered expression, he sighed heavily. "I'll explain. Does it disgust you, my appearance? I'm not surprised, you'd be the only person on the planet not to, present company included. I am Netar, a traveller from the original landing party, around...250 years ago, I'd say,"

"Happy birthday. Still doesn't explain why you look like a cross between Two-Face and Killer Croc," the Doctor said, walking up to him. Whipping out his sonic, he scanned the man. "One DNA type in your nuclei. No mutation occurring, so how is this happening?" Netar went to answer, but the Doctor interrupted. "Sorry, but not important right now. Where are the growth sacs?"

"Why do you ask?" Netar asked, his face contorting with confusion.

"I need to save my friend. She's been bitten by a Fafu," he explained quickly.

"I'll give you a choice. Save your friend-"

"I'll take the first one,"

"Or save everyone on this planet," Netar said, ignoring the Doctor's interjection.

"How?" the Doctor asked simply, looking curiously at the hybrid.

"I'll take you to the growth sacs," Netar said. "I'll explain on the way," he finished, walking down the nearest corridor.

"If see enters Stage 3, then what?" asked Feytur, a Nefu guarding Clara's cell.

"What else can we do?" Tellark replied rhetorically. "We fight and kill it - or her," he decided, looking around the city.

"How long does she have left?" muttered Feytur grimly, securing the door.

"I can't tell for sure. About an hour, tops?" Tellark said, squinting his eyes as he concentrated.

"I won't kill her," one of the guards said, turning to stare Tellark in the eye. "We can release her into the wild. Let her return to the Fafu caves,"

"She can't return to the caves,"

"Why?"

"Because she's never been! Besides, the others won't accept her, they'll kill her!"

Tellark groaned in sorrow.

"We'll until the Doctor returns. If he is too late, we will have to kill her here and now!"

"My...condition, your friend, the races, they're all connected!" Netar insisted to the Doctor, as they reached the growth sacs.

"Everything you've just told me is codswallop," replied the Doctor, who walked up to one of the sacs. "There'd at least be a historical record of such an event occurring,"

"There is, Doctor!" Netar said, as the Doctor pulled out an army knife and a vial from his pockets.

"Go on, then, what is it?"

"Chair,".

"Chair?"

"Chair," Netar said simply, as the Doctor sliced open the sac. A thin stream of a viscous liquid poured out. Putting the vial to the flow, the Doctor filled the vial. Corking it, he replaced it in his pocket, before striding out of the caves.

The walls of the cave oozed a green fluid, probably something akin to the venom.

"Does the wall rejuvenate the Fafu?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"Yes. If they are injured or frightened, they return here. Won't you help this planet, Doctor?" Netar replied, absent-mindedly leading the Doctor down the winding corridors.

"I CAN'T help you if you WON'T tell me what the problem is!"

"The solution is chair!"

"Impossible. Barmy. Ridiculous," the Doctor said, nearing the exit. "This tale is false!" he insisted, turning to face Netar. However, when he turned back around, he saw 3 Fafus in front of him, surrounding him. Netar growled slightly, and the Fafus backed away.

"If the growling is a language, shouldn't it have been translated?" the Doctor muttered to himself quietly.

"It's very primitive," Netar explained nonetheless. "Probably impossible to translate, but I've got a Fafu ear,".

"And a Fafu mouth, too. What did you say?"

"Helper,".

"Brilliant. Thanks for the venom, see you later," the Doctor said, exiting the cave.

"Doctor, if you could only look past your ignorance, you will see that you won't save your friend, that you CAN'T SAVE YOUR FRIEND!" he shouted feebly. The Doctor stopped and his eyes widened in shock.

"Chair," he muttered to himself. "Chair"


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4: Chair

(A/N) Sorry, I took a few days off for Christmas. Last chapter, save for the epilogue, then it is finished! Btw, don't own anything.

"Nefu. Chair. Fafu. Chair," the Doctor said to Netar. "Near future. Far future," he said, solving the puzzle. "The Nefu are humanity in the near future, a more recent landing party, likely. The Fafu are humanity in the far future, the original landing party 250 years ago. The Immuno 58. It must have created a dormant, Fafu gene in humanity, which was triggered by the landscape and the planet. Evolution times a thousand! That's why I can't save Clara; it's what she'll become!"

"Yes, Doctor, you are correct," Netar said grimly. "And I, am the missing

link. The last of the original landing party, partially changed, but not fully," he said miserably.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go!" the Doctor said, running back onto the horizon.

Clara began to scream in rage, taking out her anger on the wall. She hated the Fafu that bit her, for not giving her a fair chance to fight it! Her warped body had decimated her clothes, ripping them to shreds. However, she didn't care. Not now.

"She'll be entering Stage Three any minute now!" Tellark murmured from behind the door.

"Let's hope the Doctor hurries up," another Nefu said.

The Doctor ran up the stairs, finally reaching the city. He ran to

the cell, feeling the coarse stone door. His sonic was in one hand, furiously buzzing at the vial in the other hand, changing the venom into an antidote.

"Let me in," he ordered to Tellark, producing the vaccine.

"Doctor, if she's entered Stage Three, she'll kill you!"

"If she's entered Stage Three, I don't deserve to live. Open it!" he shouted in a melancholy tone.

As the door swung open, the Doctor saw a Fafu, some thin, red threads wrapped around it's body. It roared vociferously at Tellark but stopped slightly when it's gaze fell on the Doctor.

"Tiny scrap of humanity left, just enough to recognise me. Bottom's up, Clara," he said, leaping at her, pouring the venom down her mouth. Instantly, the Fafu fell to the ground an writhed in agony.

"It's working!" exclaimed Tellark in astonishment.

"Yes," the Doctor concurred, as he watched the body turn back into Clara. Taking off his jacket, he covered her with it just as she returned to human form, as he realised she was naked, due to her ripped clothes. "Welcome back," he said with a smile.

"Doctor, we're not free yet!" Tellark shouted, looking out over the ridge. A swarm of Fafu surrounded the Nefu city. The Doctor practically flew down the steps, followed by Tellark. As they reached the steps, the Doctor recognised Netar.

"What the hell is that hideous thing?" Tellark asked in disgust.

"That hideous thing, is your saviour!" the Doctor shouted back. "Netar, why have they come?"

"They believe that you will eradicate the Fafu with your cure,"

"Eradicate?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment. "I stopped a mutation, not commited genocide!"

"They want to be Nefu, Doctor!"

"No. The Fafu are the end result, I can't say what will come next. I am a helper, so help I will!"

"The Nefu and the Fafu are the same race!" the Doctor shouted. "The same race, just one further along the evolutionary scale. The Immuno 58? That's what started this! If you hate the Fafu, you hate yourself!" he shouted to all of the Nefu. Netar grinned at the helper, not even noticing the Fafu emerge from the hordes, sneak up behind him and bite him on the arm.

"Netar, NO!" the Doctor howled. As he ran to his side, the hybrid put up a hand to stop him.

"No, Doctor, it is like you said. The Fafu are the future; better late than never, eh?" he asked, before collapsing.

"What will happen to Netar now, Doctor," asked Clara, who was leaning against the TARDIS console.

"The Fafu will use some venom. Enough to turn either fully Nefu or Fafu. Either way, it's what he wanted," the Doctor answered, shutting the door behind him. Clara paused for a beat before considering her next question.

"What was the Immuno 58 used for, Doctor?" asked Clara, back in the safety of the TARDIS.

"Mostly protecting the immune system against viruses such as HIV. Some even say it helped to cure the common cold," the Doctor replied, tapping in some commands into the keyboard.

"

Mostly

"So in their quest for peace, they created a civil war?"

"Very profound, souffle girl, very profound," the Doctor commented. "On the medical theme, why not a hospital next?"

"Any mutants?"

"No promises..."


End file.
